Control Brains
Control Brains are large, computerized, brain-like creatures created by the Irkens for making both tough and basic decisions. They are the true masters of the Irken Empire, and are responsible for overseeing the Empire's day-to-day activities. Control Brains also conduct trials (also known as Existence Evaluations). If an Irken should fail the Evaluation, the Brains can eliminate them and erase their PAK's data, so that it may never be used again to corrupt another Irken. This ensures that the memories of the failed Irken do not get passed along to the Brains' hive mind. They have a zone in their bodies where minds of Irkens go upon being deleted - no Irken mind is ever truly destroyed. It is also implied that the Brains are actually enormous supercomputers and, like all machines, they can malfunction and break down, so a group of scientists and mechanics is often called in to ensure that the computers are at optimum efficiency. They also decide on elite soldier´s tests, like Tak told Zim in Tak: The Hideous New Girl: "I pleaded with the Control Brain to let me take the test. But she said I'd have to wait another seventy years!". They can also reprogram an Irken's PAK, resetting their function, as seen in The Frycook What Came from All That Space. Control Brains appear to have been in line for a makeover, not unlike the one the Almighty Tallest went through mid-season. The concept art (see picture) for their appearance in The Trial makes them appear much more sinister, and more similar in appearance to a human brain. This redesign could be the true appearance of the Brains, as the ones that appeared throughout the series were wrapped in a metal casing. Because of this, there are no visible gender differences between Brains, although a male-sounding voice was heard from one in The Frycook What Came from All That Space. Tak refers to the Brain that tested her as a "she". Control Brains run the Empire, and their conclusions even have to be accepted by The Tallest, which means that The Tallest have no real authority over the people of Irk, and are simply figureheads, not unlike a constitutional monarchy. It is unknown what would become of them, or what role they would have played, during the events of Invader Zim, as the series was cancelled before the episode could have been scripted or finalized. Facts of Doom *Control Brains have only appeared in The Frycook What Came From All That Space and Tak: The Hideous New Girl. More would have appeared in the unfinished episode The Trial. *Earlier versions of Control Brains resemble very large PAKs; this may be where PAKs got their design. *In Tak: The Hideous New Girl, during Tak's flashback showing her pleading with the Control Brain, some clips of The Nightmare Begins can be seen on the small screen on the Control Brain hinting they could be capable of foreseeing the future. *Jhonen Vasquez stated in the DVD commentary that Control Brains are actually genetically engineered Irkens, heavily altered to the point where they no longer require bodies. *It is possible that the Control Brains rule the entire Empire, while the Tallest rule only Irk. Category:Irken Empire Category:Irken Jobs Category:Irken Society Category:Irken Technology